


Changing Paths

by malaleen



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-11-27 01:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/656626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malaleen/pseuds/malaleen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How can a different decision impact a person's life and happiness? What if a minor decision you make can change the entire future of your life and those around you? Will it lead to happiness or heartbreak?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I never meant for this to become a multi-chapter, but apparently Graham and Emma want their story told. I can’t promise quick updates, but I’m hoping to explore this idea of Emma making a different decision that first night Graham kissed her and how it makes the story play out. Yes, Graham’s memories will come back to him, but in a slightly different way than in the episode, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”.

God, her life sucked. She still wanted to bleach her brain to remove the knowledge of Graham sleeping with Regina and seeing him sneak out of her second story window. Graham didn’t seem to want to let her forget it either, seeing as she was currently arguing with him regarding his relationship with Regina. He knew how much she hated her, so why he was even bothering trying to explain himself was beyond her comprehension.

“Because I…I didn’t want you to look at me the way you are now,” he pleaded with her, trying to make her understand.

Emma was just tired of all this. Really, what was the point? “Why do you care how I look at you?”

“Because,” he said desperately, gazing at her intently.

“What?” she asked, not sure what he was trying to say to her.

Suddenly Graham moved towards her and grabbed her face in his hands, kissing her hard on the lips. She closed her eyes, about to respond to his kiss when he pushed away from her. Defensively, she yelled, “What the hell was that?”

He gave her a desperate and questioning look. “Did you see that?”

“How much have you been drinking? That was way over the line,” she demanded, getting pissed at his actions towards her. She had tasted the whiskey on his lips. Why did this have to happen to her now, after she had caught him with Regina and he was clearly drunk? 

“I’m sorry, I just—“ he tried to apologize.

“What? You what?” she spat.

He moved closer, regret clearly written on his face. “I need to feel something.”

Emma looked him in the eye, trying to make it clear what she was about to say. “Listen to me, Graham. You are drunk and full of regret. I get it. But whatever it is you are looking to feel, I can tell you one thing, you’re not getting it with me.”

The split second before she left him, she could see the desolation on his face. She started to walk away, but stopped short in the middle of the street. Turning around, she could still see him standing there, looking upset and confused.

What was she thinking? He was clearly drunk and could she really leave him like this all alone? Regardless of what happened with him and Regina, he was still a friend and her boss, and to leave the man drunk in the middle of town was irresponsible of her. 

Walking back towards him, she saw a hopeful expression dawn on his face. “Graham, how are you getting home?”

“I—I drove the cruiser,” he stumbled, looking confused.

Closing her eyes in resignation, she sighed. She couldn’t leave him alone, no matter how much she wanted to. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

“You’re not mad at me anymore?” he asked, sounding relieved she hadn’t left.

“Graham, I don’t think you want to hear what I’m feeling right now,” she warned, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the parked police cruiser. 

He allowed her to pull him along, and said nothing when she stopped beside passenger. She held out her hand in front of his face, gesturing for him to give her the keys. Silently, he dug into his pants pocket and dropped them into her open palm.

“Get in,” she commanded, and walked over the driver’s side. Opening the door, she got behind the wheel, sticking the keys in the ignition. She looked over to see that Graham was still standing outside the car, just staring at her. “Get in the fucking car, Graham.”

He opened the door and sat down. He closed the passenger door, and looked at Emma with a sad expression. “You hate me, don’t you?”

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Starting the car, she stared ahead, and replied, “I don’t hate you.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?” he implored.

She turned to look at him. His eyes were shining with tears, and she could see how upset he was about her rejection. “Graham—“

“Emma, she means nothing to me,” he claimed vehemently. “I swear.”

This was not the place for a conversation like this. “How about we talk about this someplace else?”

“Okay,” he replied with relief. 

“Let’s get you home,” she suggested, turning and began to drive. A few minutes later they had arrived at Graham’s apartment. She sat behind the wheel of the cruiser, not sure what to do next. Did she really want to talk to Graham about his relationship with Regina, or should she just brush him off now that she had him safe at his apartment? Her internal debate was interrupted by Graham touching her shoulder softly.

“Emma—“ he murmured.

She closed her eyes at the feel of his touch. Deep down she knew she wanted more from Graham. She was attracted to him the moment she saw him at Regina’s that first night she had brought Henry back from Boston, and that attraction had only grown as she had gotten to know him. If she was honest with herself, what upset her most was the fact that Regina had Graham, and she didn’t.

Emma quickly got out of the cruiser, walking over to the passenger door and waited for Graham to exit. He looked up at her from the window, and slowly opened the door and got out. Standing in front of her once more, he again tried to reason with her. “Emma, please believe me. Regina means nothing to me. I feel nothing when I’m with her.”

Emma stared at him in disbelief. “If you feel nothing, then why the hell are you sleeping with her then? I’d say you’d have to feel something if you are able to have sex with her.” She turned from him and started to walk away. He grabbed her around the shoulders and whirled her around, pulling her into another bruising kiss. This time he did not pull away after a few seconds.

Emma stood still for a few moments, unable to respond to his kiss. Was she really going to allow this to happen? As attracted as she was to him, did she really want to get involved with a man who slept with the only person she could easily label as her enemy?

Graham pulled back from her slightly, leaning his forehead on hers. “Emma, for so long, I’ve felt nothing. I’ve been only drifting through my life.” He leaned in to softly kiss her again. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to respond to his kiss. He broke the kiss, and slid his lips along her jaw. Pulling her closer to him, he whispered into her ear, “Until you came into my life. Emma, I’m finally feeling something in my life, and it’s all because of you. I finally feel like myself when I’m with you.”

Emma could feel her defenses crumbling at his words. She pulled away to look him in the eyes, and saw the deep emotions within them. Widening her eyes, she gasped at the feelings she saw. He truly did feel something for her, but was she ready to allow him into her heart?

“Emma, please,” he begged, bringing his hands up to cup her face.

Her walls crumbled. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She could feel the tension drain from his body as he responded to her kiss enthusiastically, his mouth opening to grant her tongue access. Emma moaned, and pulled away from him. “Maybe we should take this someplace else?” she suggested, looking up into Graham’s face with a smile.

“Okay,” he breathed, and grabbed her hand to lead her into his apartment. They stopped every few feet for a kiss, making the trip take much longer than normal, but neither seemed to care at the moment. Graham pulled back from Emma once they were standing in front of his door. “Emma, we don’t have to do this.”

Emma smiled at him. “Let’s go in,” she suggested, gesturing to his door. “And talk.” 

He nodded, and stuck his hands in his pockets to grab his keys. He turned when he heard a set of keys jingle from behind him. “Looking for something,” Emma teased, holding up the set of keys to the cruiser.

“Yes, actually, I was,” he retorted, grabbing the keys and opening the door. He ushered her into his apartment. It was most definitely a bachelor’s apartment, as it was sparsely decorated with only the bare minimum of furniture. Leading her towards his kitchen, he asked, “Would you like something to drink?”

“How about we have some coffee?” she suggested, remembering his drunken state from earlier. If they were going to have a serious conversation about their relationship, she wanted to make sure Graham was as sober as possible.

Nodding, Graham went about the task of making coffee for them. Emma leaned against the counter, watching him move about the kitchen. When the coffee was ready, Graham suggested they move the conversation into his living room. Sitting down on the couch with their coffees facing each other, Graham started. “Emma, I want you to know I don’t expect anything from you.”

“I know,” Emma said softly, looking at him. “I’m not sure I’m ready for _that_ anyway.”

Emma could see a brief flash of disappointment on his face at her words. If she was honest, Emma would like nothing better than to jump into a physical relationship with Graham, but something insider her gut was telling her to do so would be a huge mistake. Not to mention he still needed to deal with Regina.

“Graham, what are you going to do about Regina? You say you feel nothing for her, but you’ve still had some sort of relationship with her, and it’s not like she’s going to be happy if you get involved with me,” she cautiously asked.

Graham sat back on the sofa, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. “Regina will be difficult,” he admitted.

“Understatement of the century,” Emma noted, turning to look at him. “Graham, if we do start anything between us, she needs to be dealt with.”

“Emma, I want nothing more than to be with you,” he said earnestly, turning his head to look at her. “I’ll try to talk to Regina tomorrow to tell her it’s over.”

“Are you sure?” she asked him, needing to be certain this was what he truly wanted. She had been hurt before by love, and taking a chance on Graham would not be easy for her.

“Absolutely,” he declared, leaning in to kiss her again. “You are who I want. The only one I’ve ever wanted.”

Emma smiled against his lips and returned his kiss. Being in Graham’s arms felt like home in a strange way. When she had returned Henry to Storybrooke, she had never guessed she would not only find a son but a possible lover as well. She pulled away from him and settled into his arms.

She felt him tighten his arms around her, and heard him whisper into her hair, “Stay, Emma.”

Closing her eyes, she could only nod her consent. Tomorrow she would deal with the fallout of choosing to pursue a relationship with Graham. But tonight, she would just enjoy the security of his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

_A white wolf with one red eye and one black…hunting in the woods, killing a deer with an arrow…being called before the Queen…hunting Snow White in the forest…sparing her life…trying to trick the Queen with a stag’s heart…his own heart being ripped from him and forcing him into the service and bed of the Evil Queen._

Graham woke with a start, his eyes flashing open. He tried to sit up, but found himself pinned to the sofa with Emma lying half on his chest. He tried to relax and slow his breathing so not to wake Emma, but knew he was unsuccessful when he felt her stir.

“Mmmm Graham,” Emma whimpered, burrowing herself closer into his arms. He tightened his arms around her, turning his head towards hers and breathing in her scent. If nothing else, Emma would calm his racing mind and memories.

However, it became quickly apparent that sleeping on the sofa with Emma wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. While he loved holding her in his arms, he had to admit he’d prefer a bit more space for both of them. “Emma, wake up,” he whispered into her hair.

“Nooo,” she moaned, pressing her head into his chest. “Wanna sleep.”

“Emma,” he tried again, shaking her a little this time. “This couch wasn’t really meant to be slept on by an adult male and female. “

“Feels okay to me,” she argued, turning her head to look up at him. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” he blurted out. “It’s just…maybe we could take this somewhere else?”

Emma sat up and laughed. “Why Graham, what are you suggesting?”

“I—uh—I,” he stammered, a blush creep up his face. 

“It’s okay,” she giggled. Lord, how he loved that sound. “I understand and you’re right.” She looked at him about to try to explain himself. “Graham, I can leave if you’d prefer. Besides, Mary Margaret will probably be—“

“No!” he interrupted, sitting up and looking into her the eyes. “I want you to stay. I mean, if you want to stay, that is.”

Emma looked down, a blush settling on her face. “I’d like to stay if you don’t mind.”

God, he was shit at this relationship stuff. And no wonder, spending his childhood and early adulthood in the company of wolves, and his only relationship with another person was as a result of blackmail and a curse. He stood up and held out a hand to her and helped her up. He kept hold of her hand and led her through his apartment and to his bedroom. He stopped them when they entered the room. “I-uh can get you something to sleep in,” he said nervously, turning to the dresser nearby.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. 

He handed her a tee shirt of his. “Is this okay?”

“It’s fine,” she replied, looking around. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“Down the hall, next door to the left.” 

She nodded, and left the room with his shirt. Graham scrubbed his hands over his face and sat on his bed. What the hell was he going to do? Now that he remembered his past, he knew that dealing with Regina wasn’t going to be as simple as he first thought. If he wasn’t careful, his life, and possibly Emma’s, could be on the line. Getting up, he grabbed another tee shirt and sleep pants to change into.

“Graham?” He heard Emma call to him from the bathroom.

“Yes?” he replied, walking to the door and looking out into the hall. He saw Emma standing in the bathroom doorway with a clean face and wearing only his tee shirt. Oh god, this was not going to be easy. “Did you need something?”

“Do you have an extra toothbrush I could borrow?” she asked sheepishly. “I sort of hate going to sleep without brushing my teeth first.”

“There should be one in cabinet behind the mirror,” he replied, trying to remain calm. It was so domestic to him, getting ready for bed together. It was both heaven and hell jumbled together. He turned back into the bedroom and went to turn down the covers. He was thankful he was a fairly neat person, but he supposed he came by that naturally as he had grown up with nothing, so he appreciated and took care of what he had, even under a curse.

“Graham?” Emma called out to him from behind. “Bathroom’s free if you need to use it.”

He turned to look at her and saw her form outline by the hallway’s light. She was so beautiful to him. He was so afraid that she would leave if she knew the truth of his past. A part of him longed to tell her everything but another part, the part that mistrusted humans, told him to keep quiet. Besides, he knew she thought the curse was nonsense, and didn’t believe in any of Henry’s theories. She’d just think he was as damaged as her son was. 

He nodded and walked past her to the bathroom. Quickly going through his nightly absolutions, he thought about how he was going to deal with the truth. He needed his heart back or he would never be free to love Emma the way she deserved, but he had no idea of where to start looking. Did Regina even bring her collection of hearts with her from the Enchanted Forest? He needed to talk to someone about what to do, but his options were severely limited. Right now, the only person who knew about the curse on Storybrooke was Henry, and Graham knew that Emma would never forgive him if he got her son involved in any scheme to find his heart. With that thought in mind, he returned to his bedroom, only to find Emma sitting up in his bed.

He stood in the doorway, just staring at the sight of Emma in his bed. He could only thank god he had never met up with Regina at his apartment, as she had always preferred to meet at the Bed and Breakfast or her home. He honestly felt it would be sacrilege to lie in the same bed with Emma as he had Regina.

Emma smiled at him and patted the spot next to her. “Graham, come to bed.”

Smiling shyly at her, he slowly made his way to the side of the bed, and crawled under the covers with her. They both lay down together facing each other, unsure of what to do next. Graham wished he was still drunk, as then he might have had the courage to pull Emma into his arms. They lay there staring at each other for a long moment, before Emma slid over to lie closer to him. He pulled her into his arms, allowing her to curl into his side as he lay on his back.

“Graham?” Emma whispered.

“Yes?” he replied, looking down at her. His fingers began to toy with her blonde curls.

“What happens tomorrow?” Emma asked, looking up at him. He could see a troubled expression cross her face. “Regina isn’t going to be easy to deal with, is she?”

“I—I don’t know,” he replied, wishing he could tell her that they could easily be together. But now that his memories of the Enchanted Forest had returned, he needed to do all he could so he and Emma could have a happy ending. “Regina will be complicated. She doesn’t like to lose.”

“Understatement of the year,” Emma laughed hollowly. “Why can’t things ever be simple for me? Why can’t I find someone who’s not full of complications?”

“Hey, now,” Graham protested, tightening his arms around her. “What I feel for you is very uncomplicated. I care very deeply for you, and I’ve wanted you since I met you. I wish we could simply be together, but we’ll need to be careful with Regina. She can make both our lives very difficult.” 

She nodded into his chest, closing her eyes. “We’ll get through it together, right? We won’t let her win?”

Graham shut his eyes, pained at the thought of just what Regina was capable of. “Yes, we’re in this together.” And silently he vowed that he would do anything, promise anything to make that happen. Which meant he needed to speak to someone. Someone who could make things happen in the Enchanted Forest for a price. A price he was willing to pay if it meant he could have a happy ending with Emma.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma sat in the cruiser next to Graham. A part of her was nervous over taking such a large step in their relationship. She hadn’t had a serious relationship with someone since Neal left her over ten years ago. Since his betrayal, she had never involved herself with another man beyond a single night, and even that never lasted much beyond the actual act of sex. To actually spend the night in Graham’s arms and not do much more than kiss was something she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

She was also worried about Regina. Graham was right when he said Regina could make life very hard for both of them. Emma had no doubt that Regina knew about their budding relationship as Sidney Glass was her favorite spy in town. She was sure Regina had found out about their kiss in the street first thing this morning, or would whenever Sidney recovered from his hangover from the previous evening. She could only hope he didn’t know she spent the night at Graham’s apartment.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Graham asked, reaching over with one hand to grasp one of hers.

“Regina,” she sighed, looking over at him. “Sidney probably saw us together last night.”

A look of frustration crossed Graham’s face. “I forgot about him. Well, I guess we can assume Regina will know something about us. The question will be, how much did he see?”

“Considering how much he had been drinking, I doubt he saw much beyond me taking you home,” she mused, thinking out loud to herself. “But knowing Regina, she’ll accuse me of seducing you away from her anyway.”  
Graham’s face grew angry. “I wish we didn’t have to deal with her at all. I never wanted to be in a relationship with her, and it’s none of her business what we do together.”

“Why did you get involved with her?” Emma asked. She had been wondering about their relationship since she had discovered Graham leaving Regina’s the other night.

“At the risk of sounding cliché, it’s complicated,” Graham admitted, grimacing. “Let’s just say she held something over my head, and I really didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“Oh my god, Graham!” Emma exclaimed horrified at the thought Graham had been blackmailed into sleeping with Regina. “That’s completely illegal! She can’t be allowed to get away with this!”

“Emma,” Graham pleaded, looking at her with a desperate look. “You can’t say anything to Regina. You have no idea what she’s capable of.”

“I’m capable of a lot, too,” Emma retorted, glaring back at him. “If you think I’m going to allow her to get away with blackmail of someone I care about, you don’t know me very well.”

Graham pulled the cruiser over to the side of the road in front of Emma and Mary Margaret’s apartment. He turned and grabbed her arms, forcing her to look at him. “Emma, you can’t confront Regina about this. Regina will retaliate against both of us! You know the lengths she’ll go to, you’ve seen it already. If you think she’s done horrible things so far, you have no idea what she’ll do if her back’s against a wall. For now, let things be.”  
Emma closed her eyes in frustration. She knew he was right about Regina, but it galled her to not do something about Regina’s abuse of power over Graham. “I’ll keep quiet for now, but I’m not making any promises if that bitch comes after me about you.”

“Emma, please,” he begged, his voice pleading with her. “Do not say anything about what I just told you. She’ll retaliate against me, or worse, you.”

“But Graham—“ she insisted, giving him a hard look. “I can’t let her get away with what she’s done to you.”

“She won’t get away with it,” he promised, pulling her to him and hugging her tightly. “But we need to do this on our terms, not hers.” He pulled back from her and kissed her hard on the lips. “I love that you want to defend me.”

Emma’s heart sped up at the mention of love. “I—uh—“

Graham grinned at her. “It’s okay, Emma, you should go in now. I’m sure Mary Margaret is wondering where you are.”

“Damn it!” Emma cursed, pulling her phone from her pocket and turning on the screen. “I missed several texts from her last night. She’s going to be so worried.”

“She’s sort of a mother hen with you, then?” He asked, an amused expression crossing his face.

“You have no idea,” Emma said, turning to open the door. “I’d better go in.” She started to head into the building, but turned back to look at Graham. “I’ll see you later at the station?”

“I have a few errands to run this morning, so I probably won’t be in until later this morning,” he replied.

“Okay, I’ll see you later then,” she said with smile, then quickly jogged into the apartment building and up to the loft she shared with Mary Margaret. The upcoming conversation she knew Mary Margaret would insist on having would not be fun. Emma didn’t like sharing her feelings with anyone, although she supposed if she could confide in anyone, it would be Mary Margaret.

Taking a deep breath, she used her keys to unlock the door and entered the loft. She was hoping Mary Margaret had already left for the day, but luck wasn’t with her. Standing at the counter was Mary Margaret, making her morning cup of tea.

“Where were you last night?” she demanded, giving Emma a hard look. “And why didn’t you answer my texts?”

“I—uh—I was out?” Emma stammered, throwing her keys on the table nearby. She looked sheepishly at Mary Margaret, who was just staring at her with a pointed look. She tried to hold up against her scrutiny, but finally broke down. “Okay, I was with Graham.”

“What?” Mary Margaret exclaimed, surprise and delight lighting up her face. “Graham?”

Emma looked around and noticed a bouquet of flowers sitting on the table. “Who sent the flowers? David?”

“Oh, no,” she protested. “You are not getting out of this conversation by changing the subject.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Nope, definitely not,” Mary Margaret nodded and sat at the counter, waiting for Emma to explain.

Emma went to the refrigerator and grabbed the orange juice. She tried avoiding explaining by pouring herself a glass, but gave up after a few minutes of Mary Margaret staring at her while drinking her tea. “We kissed last night.”

“You did?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow over her cup.

“We did. He was drunk and I was angry and we ended up talking at his place,” Emma confessed, sitting next to Mary Margaret. 

“And what did you talk about?” She asked, curious.

“Our relationship,” Emma said vaguely, not really wanting to share how she felt about Graham.

“Emma, I know you have feelings for Graham,” Mary Margaret said, giving her a patient look. “And he has feelings for you. It’s been rather obvious.”

“It has not!” Emma protested. She was sure she had never given away her feelings she had for Graham to anyone.

“Emma, please,” Mary Margaret smirked, shaking her head in exasperation. “It’s been clear since you started working for him something was going on between you two. I actually thought it would take longer for you to realize it, considering those walls you have around yourself.”

“Walls?” Emma snorted.

“Walls,” she insisted. “You have these walls around you and you refuse to let anyone in. I’m happy to see Graham was able to break through enough to get you to see what you could have with him.”

“I just…I don’t want to get hurt,” Emma confessed, not wanting to reveal her past heartaches. “But maybe Graham is worth trying for.”

“I think he is,” Mary Margaret said, smiling at Emma fondly. “I can’t think of a better man to get involved with.” She looked at her watch and set her cup on the counter. “I need to get to school, or I’ll be late.”

“Hey, what about those flowers!” Emma protested, as she watched her grab her things to get ready to leave.

“I’ll tell you later,” she promised, heading towards the door. Turning back, she looked at Emma. “Can you put them in water for me?”

“Sure, but I expect a full explanation tonight,” Emma said.

Before Mary Margaret left for the day, she said one final thing to Emma. “Emma, give Graham a chance. I don’t think you’ll regret it.”

Emma just sat there in silence for a few minutes. Then quietly to herself she said, “no, I don’t think I will.”

* * *

Graham cursed himself for ever mentioning to Emma the blackmail Regina had put him through for decades. He knew Emma well enough to know she would never stand for such an injustice, and was hot-headed enough to confront Regina about her actions. He hoped he had talked her down from such a confrontation, but he would have to carefully watch Emma in the future. Unfortunately, he knew Regina would say something to Emma regarding their budding relationship, and he could only pray Emma could hold her temper enough to not lash out.

He decided he needed to see Mr. Gold, or Rumplestiltskin as he was called in the Enchanted Forest. He was taking a chance that Gold might not remember his true self thanks to Regina’s curse, but instincts told him that if any other resident of Storybrooke knew their true identity, it would be Rumplestiltskin.

As he drove towards the pawn shop, out of the corner of his eye he saw a wolf standing in the alleyway. He slammed on the breaks, turning his head to see the animal staring right at him. Graham recognized his wolf brethren from the Enchanted Forest, and quickly pulled the cruiser off the street and went to follow him.

“Brother!” he called out, jogging towards him. The wolf with two colored eyes stared at him for a moment, and then turned to run back towards the forest. Graham followed at a distance, trying to keep up with his kin. Since regaining his memories of his life as a Huntsman, he had longed to be reunited with his brother, but he had feared his wolf had not been pulled into Storybrooke as he had.

He ran farther into the woods, trying to keep sight of the wolf. The animal began to run faster and deeper within the forest, and Graham knew he would soon lose sight of him if the wolf didn’t stop or slow down. He ducked and weaved through the foliage, trying to locate his brother. A howl echoed though the forest, and Graham stopped to listen the call of this brother. He saw a rustle of foliage ahead, and moved towards it. To his disappointment, it was only Gold, dressed in his usual suit, but wearing an apron to protect it and carrying a shovel. What the hell was he doing out here in the woods?

“Good morning, Sheriff,” Gold said, in a conciliatory manner. “Sorry if I startled you.”

Graham took a moment to catch his breath. As much as he wanted to be reunited with his brother, he had wanted to talk to Gold first. “What are you doing out here so early?”

“I might ask you the same, Sheriff,” Gold responded, eying Graham closely. “Something seems different about you this morning.”

Did he want to take the chance that Gold was aware of his Rumplestiltskin identity? And did he want to ally himself and Emma with a man known for only making deals that were to his own advantage. Rumplestiltskin was as, or even more, dangerous than Regina. Graham supposed the only comfort he could take regarding both was that neither seemed to have their magic in this realm. “I am feeling a bit different, now that you mention it.”  
“Oh?” Gold coaxed, giving Graham a calculating look. “And what, pray tell, is different this morning?”

Graham took a deep breath. This was it. He could either play off Gold’s inquiry, or go for broke for the chance of an alliance. “I remember.”

“Remember?” Gold asked, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Graham. “I see. And does this recall have something to do with the lovely Miss Swan?”

Graham glared at the man, and replied coldly, “It does.”

“Ah, wonderful!” Gold exclaimed, a look of pure delight lighting up his face. “Miss Swan has broken the curse for you, I see.”

“She did,” Graham admitted. “And I take it you remember who you are as well?”

Gold gave him a mocking bow, “Rumplestiltskin, at your service, Huntsman.”

Not wanting to play games with this imp, Graham decided to jump right into the dilemma he and Emma were facing. “What needs to be done to break this curse? And how did Emma break the curse for me only?”  
“Those are some very interesting questions, Huntsman,” Rumplestiltskin said, leaning against the handle of his cane. “What do you think Miss Swan did to break the curse for you?” 

Graham thought back to the first moment the memories of his life as the Huntsman returned. “I kissed her.”

“Interesting,” Rumplestiltskin observed, giving him as slight smile. “Well, it seems you are facing a rather interesting dilemma, as you appear to be missing something rather important.”

Graham noticed that the imp seemed to know more than what he was saying, but Graham knew that if Rumplestiltskin didn’t want to say more, he wouldn’t. Graham decided to address the most pressing issue at hand. “My heart.”

“Yes, your heart,” Rumplestiltskin drawled. “The one the Queen took from you when you spared Emma’s mother’s life.”

The confirmation that Emma was Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter was not quite a shock to him, as Emma had complained to him before about Henry’s theories of Storybrooke, but it still blew his mind to think of his act of compassion essentially led him to Emma. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on the problem at hand, getting his heart back. “How can I get it back from Regina?”

“Oh, it’s not going to be easy,” Rumplestiltskin warned. “Regina brought over many souvenirs and trinkets from our homeland, much like I did, but unlike me, hers are under tight guard.”

Graham thought about all the times he’d been called to Gold’s shop, and realized just how many things Rumplestiltskin had taken from the residents of the Enchanted Forest. Glaring at the imp, he ground out, “can you help me?”

“I’m afraid not, dearie,” he smirked. “As much as I’d like to see the curse broken on this town, now is not the time for me to move against Regina.”

“So you are refusing to help?” Graham hissed, anger at the imp rising in his blood.

“Until Miss Swan fully believes in this curse, it’s not my time to act,” Rumplestiltskin replied in a haughty manner. “However, there are others in this town that are aware of the curse, too.”

“I’m not getting Henry involved in all this,” Graham ground out, furious that Rumplestiltskin would even hint at the idea of the boy being used in such a manner. 

“The boy will have his uses, Huntsman. Don’t neglect his part in all this,” Rumplestiltskin warned. “But I wasn’t referring to Miss Swan’s son.”

Graham’s eyes widened as he realized just what Rumplestiltskin was trying to tell him. “Who else is aware of their true identity? Regina?”

“Oh, yes, Regina is aware alright. She cast the curse on all of us,” he replied. “But there’s another. Tell me Sheriff, what do you know of the Hatter who lives on the hill?”


	4. Chapter 4

_"Oh, yes, Regina is aware alright. She cast the curse on all of us," he replied. "But there's another. Tell me Sheriff, what do you know of the Hatter who lives on the hill?"_

“Hatter?” Graham said. “I don’t know of any hatter around Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest.”

“You might have met him during a jaunt in his old profession,” Rumplestiltskin hinted. “Jefferson was formally a portal jumper before a queen from another realm forced him into making hats. Drove him quite mad, you see.”

Suddenly a memory of escorting a man with a hat box to Regina came to mind. “He was doing a favor for Regina, wasn’t he? I never saw him again after that one time, but that same day Regina’s father returned.”

“Yes, Regina took advantage of poor Jefferson, and left him to rot in a nasty little world,” Rumplestiltskin shuddered. “Never took well to the curse because of his experiences there, and now he’s stuck with two different realities in his head.”

Graham’s eyes widened at the thought of the torture it would be to have the reality of your real identity fighting with the curse’s forced one. He was already finding it difficult to deal with the two sets of memories in his head, and he couldn’t imagine dealing with those for the past 28 years. “Is he sane enough to help?”

“’We’re all mad here’,” Rumplestiltskin quoted, giving Graham a telling look. “Jefferson is about the only person in Storybrooke with enough incentive as you to go against the Queen.”

Graham shook his head at his cryptic statement. “And you say he lives on the hill? Isn’t that where the shut-in millionaire lives?”

“That’s the Hatter, alright,” Rumplestiltskin confirmed and began walking away. He turned, looking back at Graham. “Good luck, Huntsman, with your tasks. I’m afraid you’ll have a long road ahead of you.”

Graham just stood there dumbfounded at the strangeness of the conversation he just had. On one hand, he had a lead on someone who could help him with his task of retrieving his heart, but on the other, he was going to have to deal with a possible crazy person. Somehow this did not make the task seem any easier than it did before he spoke with Rumplestiltskin.

Graham looked down at his watch, and saw that it was after ten in the morning. He had promised Emma he would see her later at the station, and if he wanted to keep that promise, he should probably leave now. Seeing this Jefferson would have to wait until later in the day.

* * *

Emma had been at the station for the past hour and a half. After taking a quick shower and getting ready for the day, she was stopped by Granny’s for a quick cup of coffee and went to the station to wait for Graham. She spent the morning doing some left over paperwork from the previous day, but there was never much to do when it came to crime in Storybrooke. Honestly, she didn’t know how Graham stood the monotony of constantly dealing with Leroy’s drunken escapes and Pongo’s misadventures with Ms. Ginger.

Placing a few files on her desk, she picked up a dart that was lying there. Graham had been attempting to teach her the art of throwing darts in their free time, but frankly she hit the corkboard behind the dartboard so many times, she was starting to see large holes form. Raising her arm, she attempted another shot at hitting the actual target. Yet again the damned dart bounced off the board and fell to the floor. ‘Crap,’ she thought to herself as she went over to pick up the dart from the floor.

“Our tax dollars always hard at work, I see,” Regina drawled. Emma stood to see the Mayor saunter into the station, no doubt looking for Graham.

“Graham isn’t here right now,” Emma retorted, trying to resist the urge to punch Regina in the face for her treatment of Graham. “He’ll be in later this morning.”

“You know, Miss Swan,” Regina started, looking at Emma like she was dirt upon her shoe. “I’m aware of your little relationship with our Sheriff. Doesn’t look good for the local law enforcement to be involved with each other. People may start to talk.”

Emma took a deep breath to try to calm herself and not say something she’d know she’d regret later. “I don’t have a relationship with Graham.” ‘yet’ she added mentally. “Besides, I would think it would look just as bad for the Mayor to be in a sexual relationship with the Sheriff.” God, that was painful to say out loud.

“Oh, so you know about our relationship?” Regina simpered, giving Emma a superior look. “You know, Miss Swan, you seem to be incapable of feeling anything for anyone. There’s a reason you’re alone, isn’t there?”  
Emma was just about to haul off and hit Regina when she heard Graham’s voice from behind her. “That’s enough, Regina.”

Regina looked up at Graham with a phony loving look. “Graham, I was just here to see you.”

“Oh?” he said, looking at Emma and giving her a telling look. “It looks as though you were baiting my deputy.”

“Miss Swan and I were merely talking, weren’t we?” Regina said to Emma, giving her an insincere smile.

Emma just nodded, fuming at Regina’s audacity. She wanted to smack that smile right off her face. “Emma?” She looked up to see Graham speaking with her. “Could you give me a minute with Regina alone?”

Emma’s eyes widened at Graham’s suggestion. He nodded in perceptively at her, and she just looked back at him, giving him a look that said, ‘I hope you know what you’re doing.’ She then walked out of the office, but slowed after a distance trying to overhear their conversation.

“Graham what the hell were you doing with Miss Swan last night?” Regina demanded angrily.

“I was drunk last night, as I’m sure Sidney told you,” Graham responded with an exasperated tone. “Nothing happened.”

Emma felt a pang of hurt at Graham’s denial of their relationship. While her mind logically told her Graham needed to throw Regina off the scent of their budding relationship for the moment, it didn’t mean it hurt any less. 

“That’s not what Sidney told me, Graham. So kissing your deputy and going home with her is considered nothing these days?”

“Kissing Emma was a spur of the moment thing,” Graham said. “And Emma only drove me home because I was too drunk to drive myself. She dropped me off and then went home herself.”

“Graham, this crush you have on Miss Swan is getting out of hand,” Regina started. “I think Miss Swan needs to be let go before people start to talk.”

“And people won’t talk about the two of us?” Graham asked, his voice rising in frustration.

“No one besides Miss Swan knows about our little arrangement,” Regina replied, sounding confident.

“And you think she won’t say anything? What’s to say she hasn’t mentioned it to someone already? She’s known about us for a while now,” Graham said firmly. Emma was surprised at Graham’s lie. She had only found out about their relationship the other night.

“Miss Swan won’t say anything about us,” Regina retorted. “She wouldn’t dare.”

“She wouldn’t? Are you sure about that? Because you’ve went out of your way to make her your enemy, and I can’t think of any better way to get back at you than to start rumors about an inappropriate relationship between the Sheriff and the Mayor,” Graham pointed out.

Emma knew she would never try to hurt Graham in that way, but she had to admit that if Regina had been involved with anyone else, the temptation to ruin Regina’s reputation like she had tried to do with hers would have been great.

Regina was silent for a long moment before Graham spoke again. “Look, I think we should consider stepping back for the moment and wait to see if anything comes out about the two of us. I certainly don’t need the town’s people talking about my personal relationships when I’m trying to do my job.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Regina admitted grudgingly. “I’ll see myself out.” 

Emma could hear the click of Regina’s heels coming towards her, so she tried to make it look as though she was just returning to the office after leaving for a while. Regina stopped before her and gave her a nasty look. “You will not say anything about my relationship with Graham to anyone, do you understand me?”

“Why should I?” Emma snorted. “You had no trouble digging up my past and pasting it on the front page of the newspaper. Why shouldn’t I show you the same courtesy?”

“And you don’t care if you drag down your boss as well, Miss Swan?” Regina said, raising her eyebrow in disbelief. “How unfeeling you are.”

“Graham and I are only friends and coworkers,” Emma stated firmly, hoping Regina bought both their acts. “While I’d feel bad he’d be dragged through the mud, you’d deserve everything that was said about you.”

“Watch your back, Miss Swan,” Regina warned, stepping closer to Emma. Emma held her ground and refused to step away from her. “You don’t want to cross me. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

“And you don’t know what I’m capable of either,” Emma retorted. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to work. Tax dollars and all…” With that parting statement, Emma whirled around on her heels and stalked back into the office. She heard the door slam as Regina left the station in a huff. She looked up to see Graham standing there with a worried expression. “Hey you.”

“Emma,” he said. “What were you thinking confronting Regina like that?”

“I was thinking I wasn’t going to let her think she could control me,” Emma snapped, frustrated at Graham’s inaction regarding the bitch. “And while we’re discussing Regina, can you please tell me why the hell you didn’t break it off with her?”

Graham gave her a pleading look. “Emma, you know I’m going to have to tread carefully with Regina. Making her think rumors might start about us is the best way right now for me to be able to stop seeing her.”

“But why can’t you tell her to back the hell off?” Emma asked, frustrated at his refusal to end things with Regina. “What the hell is she holding over you?”

“Emma, believe me, I’m working on gaining the upper hand on Regina,” Graham explained, taking a hold of Emma’s hands. “I need to run a few more errands this afternoon that should help with this very problem.”

“Oh?” Emma said, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes. “And what are these errands, Sheriff Graham?”

“I need to speak with someone who may know something about Regina,” Graham replied, tugging on her hands, pulling her towards him. 

“Sheriff,” Emma teased, wrapping her arms around him with a smile. “I thought this was considered inappropriate behavior.”

“Stuff inappropriate behavior,” Graham said, leaning down to kiss Emma. For the next few minutes, they stood together locked in each other’s embrace. However, all too soon, Graham pulled away and leaned his head against hers.

“Can I go with you to see this person?” Emma asked, running her arms up his and linking them behind his neck.

“I’m not sure if that’s the best idea,” Graham said hesitantly, looking Emma in the eyes. “The person I’m going to see is a bit of a loose cannon, so to speak, and I’m not sure if he’d be willing to talk to two law officials.”

Emma looked into his eyes, and could see that he honestly felt he needed to speak with this person on his own first. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Graham asked, surprise appearing on his face. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Emma replied, leaning up to quickly kiss his lips. “I trust you, Graham, and if you think it’s better to talk to this person alone, so I’ll just have to take your word on the subject. But please, let me help you anyway that I can. I want more than anything to be able to have this relationship out in the open.”

“I want nothing more,” Graham vowed, kissing her yet again. “Believe me, Emma. I’m doing all I can to end the leverage Regina holds over me and I can only hope that this man I’m going to see can help me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Jefferson is coming in the next chapter. But I really felt that Regina needed to be dealt with first. Soon things are going to really start to deviate from the episode as Graham tries to figure out how to fend off Regina and get back his heart. And of course, there’s that little problem of the Curse Storybrooke is under.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Emma and Graham interaction in this chapter, I’m afraid. Just the introduction of Jefferson and his part to play in this story. I’m afraid Jefferson is a bit of an ass in this chapter, but I’ve always felt he has just a few issues with authority figures, so he really isn’t going to play nice with Graham.

Graham sat in the cruiser looking up at the large mansion in front of him. He knew very little about the man who lived here, other than he was an eccentric millionaire who refused to leave the comforts of his home, not to mention the home was surrounded by woods that most of the town’s people considered to be haunted. A lie that was no doubt perpetuated by Regina in an effort to further isolate the man who lived there. Taking a deep breath, Graham opened the car door and walked up the stairs to the front door. He knocked briskly, waiting patiently for a response.

Several minutes passed and no one came to answer the door. Graham knocked again, this time with more force, yelling louder, “Mr. Lewis, I’d like to speak with you!”

Another few minutes passed by, when finally a shadow passed by the windows along side of the door. Graham banged on the door again. “Jefferson! I need to speak with you!”

The door cracked open and a man’s face appeared. “What do you want?”

“I need to speak with you, Mr. Lewis,” Graham pleaded. “It’s important.”

“I’ve done nothing that would warrant the town’s Sheriff to pay me a visit,” Jefferson stated, refusing to open the door to allow Graham to enter.

“Jefferson, please,” he pleaded. Graham looked around and then said quietly, “It’s about the curse.”

Jefferson stared at him for a long moment, then opened the door and stepped back. Graham entered the lavish home as Jefferson closed the door behind him. Jefferson stared at Graham before saying flatly, “What do you know of the curse?”

“Can we go somewhere else to talk?” Graham asked. “Honestly, what I need to say to you is going to take a while to explain, so I think it’d be easier if we were both more comfortable.”

Jefferson narrowed his eyes, and started to walk down the entry way. “Follow me.” He led Graham to a well decorated living area, with white sectional furniture and a grand piano. “Have a seat.”

Graham sat on the white sectional, while Jefferson remained standing next to the fire place. Taking a deep breath, he began, “I remember who I am.”

Jefferson just stared at Graham as he shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. “I was told you could possibly help me.”

Jefferson snorted derisively, “Let me guess, was it possibly Rumplestiltskin or Regina who sent you here? Those are the only two people in town who would be aware of the curse.” Jefferson narrowed his eyes as he considered Graham. “Though maybe it wasn’t Regina. After all, you are carrying on with your deputy while still serving as Regina’s little pet.”

Graham shot off the sectional and moved towards Jefferson, who stood his ground. “I am not Regina’s pet any longer. I won’t let that damned women use me ever again.” He gave Jefferson an appraising look and asked, “And how do you know about Emma and I? You never leave this house.”

“Only because Regina designed the curse that way,” Jefferson snapped. “I have my ways of finding out about the happenings in Storybrooke.” And with that statement, he waved his hands towards his window. Graham then noticed the telescope facing out towards the town.

“You spy on the town’s people?” he asked incredulously. Graham was beginning to think coming here was a mistake. He would have been better off taking his chances working on his own, or even trying to convince Emma of his lost heart than dealing with this nutcase. “This was a mistake. You’re obviously not someone who’s willing to help. I’m leaving.” He started for the door.

“Wait,” Jefferson called out, stopping him from leaving. “You don’t understand what it’s been like for the last twenty-eight years. I’ve been stuck in this house. Day after day, always the same.”

Graham turned. “Then why don’t you explain it to me?”

Jefferson laughed hollowly and looked up at the ceiling. “Do you know what it’s like to have two conflicting realities competing for dominance in your head? To have the knowledge of our true past and know that it’s practically impossible to return to it?”

“I had no idea until just this morning,” Graham admitted, walking back towards Jefferson and sitting down again. “Why didn’t the curse affect you like it did the rest of us?”

“I have no idea,” Jefferson snapped. “Maybe it was Regina’s idea of punishment for me to live like this?”

“Rumplestiltskin said something about your mind being damaged after being trapped in another realm?” Graham questioned, feeling pity for this obviously damaged man.

“Of course he would send you to me,” Jefferson snorted, rolling his eyes and choosing to ignore Graham’s question. “So what exactly do you want my help for?”

“Do you know my identity from the Enchanted Forest?” Graham asked, unsure how much Jefferson knew about his past.

“I know you worked with Regina in some capacity,” Jefferson admitted, “but I don’t know much else.”

Graham took a deep breath, not sure he was prepared to share his story with a complete stranger. “I was the Huntsman.”

“Ah,” Jefferson smirked. “I have heard of you. Abandoned by your parents and raised by wolves? Had no feelings towards your fellow man and was able to kill without remorse? Interesting man Regina chose for our Sheriff.”

Graham glared at the smirking man standing by the fireplace. He really didn’t like him at all. “Because of those qualities, she tasked me with a job. To kill Snow White and bring Regina her heart.”

“I’m assuming you didn’t do it as our lovely Princess is still alive and kicking as the local school teacher. Again, Regina had a very unique way of punishing us all with the curse.” Jefferson drawled, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I couldn’t take her life,” Graham admitted, “and when I tried to fool Regina with a stag’s heart, she—“

“Let me take a wild guess,” Jefferson interrupted. “She took your heart?”

“Yes,” Graham said, confused as to how this man could know what Regina’s actions were. “How do you know what she did?”

“I know Regina better than most,” Jefferson conceded, shifting his eyes to the empty fireplace. He said no more on the subject, even though Graham was quite interested to learn how much this man knew of the woman who had tortured and blackmailed him, and had cursed all who lived in the Enchanted Forest.

“Can you help me get it back from her?” Graham inquired, deciding just to jump in with the true reason for his visit.

Jefferson just turned to look at Graham, staring at him placidly for the longest time. Graham sat quietly on the sofa, trying not to squirm under the man’s scrutiny. After several minutes of this standoff between the two men, Graham decided to cut his losses and leave. He stood up and started to walk from the room.

“Wait!” Jefferson called out to him. Graham stopped by the door, but refused to turn. He was not going to play any sort of head games with this man. “I can help you, but you need to help me as well.”

Graham turned at this proclamation. “What do you need my help for?”

“Did Rumplestiltskin happen to mention my former profession when he told you about me?” Jefferson inquired.

“He said you were a portal jumper, whatever that means,” Graham answered.

“I have the ability to travel to different realms,” he explained, taking a seat on the sectional and motioning for Graham to join him. “There are an infinite number of worlds out there, touching one another, pressing up in a long line of lands. Each is as real as the last, and all have their own rules. Some have magic, some don’t.”

Graham gazed at Jefferson, still unsure of what he was trying to say to him. “And this land doesn’t have magic?”

Jefferson laughed hollowly. “This land is just what Regina wanted. A land without magic where she could get her happy ending at last.”

“But what do you want from me?” Graham questioned, still not understanding what the Hatter wanted from him.

“While I have the ability to travel to these lands, I need a magic portal in order to make the journey,” Jefferson clarified. “When I made that last journey with Regina, the one that lead me to become trapped in the hell known as Wonderland, I used my hat, or my portal, to travel. You see, my portal had one very set rule: the same number of people who entered the portal, had to leave the portal.”

“I’m sorry,” Graham said, still terribly confused. “But what exactly did Regina do to you?”

“She needed to retrieve her father,” Jefferson responded flatly. “The Queen of Hearts, or better known as her mother Cora, captured her father. Regina tricked me into taking her to Wonderland to get him back, and because of the hat’s rules, I was unable to return back to the Enchanted Forest, forcing me to abandon my daughter. Of course, Cora was unhappy with the theft and gave the order to behead me.” At this statement, Jefferson pulled loose his scarf to reveal a scar circling his throat.

“What?” Graham gasped, standing up and staring at his scar. “How the hell are you still alive?”

“It’s a different realm,” Jefferson reminded. “The rules regarding magic were different, and apparently in Wonderland losing your head doesn’t always mean death. Of course, after my head was re-attached, I was forced to make hat after hat in order to try to make another portal. I’d still be in stuck in Wonderland if Regina hadn’t pulled me to this realm with the curse.”

Graham drew in a deep breath, and began. “Okay, I’m starting to understand why you may have not accepted the curse like everyone else. But I still don’t know what you want me to help you with.”

“Regina has my hat,” Jefferson said. “And I want it back. If we’re going to try to find your missing heart, I want to find my hat.”

“But what good will it do you?” Graham asked. “There’s no magic in this land. How would you get it to work?”

“No magic?” Jefferson laughed, shaking his head. “No magic you say? The deputy you’re trying to start a relationship with is full of magic.”

“Emma is not magical!” Graham protested, starting to get angry again. 

“Oh, isn’t she?” Jefferson asked. “Think about it. The moment she decides to stay in town, the clock tower, which hasn’t worked in 28 years, starts moving. People start to change. Cinderella, who was pregnant for the entire length of the curse, is suddenly able to give birth.” Jefferson gave Graham a telling look, before sharing his final bit of proof. “Emma Swan kisses you and you remember your past as the Huntsman.”

“We are going to have a long talk about your spying on people soon, Jefferson,” Graham warned, trying to ignore the blatant invasion of privacy this man has committed. “But even if Emma has magic, she doesn’t believe in it. She doesn’t believe in the curse at all.”

“And no one is trying to make her believe?” Jefferson inquired, an all too innocent expression on his face.

“Henry,” Graham said. “How do you? Never mind, I have a pretty good idea how. And it still doesn’t matter. If I thought I could get Emma to believe in the curse and magic, do you think I’d be here talking to you?”

“Probably not,” Jefferson conceded. “But you are here talking to me. And if I’m going to help you with your quest, then you’ll damn well help me with mine.”


	6. Chapter 6

The meeting with Jefferson Lewis had not gone as he hoped. He had obtained Jefferson’s agreement to help him retrieve his heart from Regina’s vault, but several issues still plagued the mission. First, they were both unsure of where the vault could be located. They had a few ideas, but didn’t know where to start looking. Graham was positive that if they started snooping around any location Regina frequented, Regina would be tipped off that something was wrong. 

That led to the second problem they faced, which was how to accomplish finding Graham’s heart and Jefferson’s hat without Regina realizing what was happening. She was already on the lookout for things relating to the curse breaking since Emma’s arrival in town, so she would be on high alert for any suspicious behavior. Not to mention after last night, Graham going to be closely watched due to his developing relationship with Emma. Jefferson, if he was careful, could probably slip by unnoticed, but Regina’s spies would be high alert for suspicious behavior from Graham. If Regina had any idea that Graham’s curse had broken, she wouldn’t hesitate to take action against him, leading to her either using his enchanted heart to manipulate him or worse yet, kill him.

The last problem they faced was how to get both the hat to work and his heart back where it belonged. Jefferson admitted he knew how the process was done, but he was fairly sure you needed magic to return an enchanted heart back to a person’s body. It didn’t matter if it was magic in the realm itself or the person doing the returning had to be magical to make the process work. And as for the hat, Jefferson knew that it wouldn’t matter if he had his hat back or not, he still needed magic to make it work properly. 

The two men had agreed there were two solutions to their problems. The first two problems could possibly be solved by a visit to Henry, the only other person besides Gold and Regina who knew about the curse. Jefferson had suggested trying Rumplestiltskin first when Graham objected to involving the young boy, but after Graham explained his visit with the man earlier in the day, plus his reluctance to owe the man a favor, both he and Jefferson agreed that going to Rumplestiltskin should be a last resort if Henry couldn’t help them. Graham only agreed to let Henry help if he would be keep out of the action, and only on the fringes of the plan.

The last problem Graham and Jefferson disagreed on the solution. Jefferson was positive that Emma was the solution to both the problem of his hat and Graham’s heart. Graham was reluctant to force Emma to believe in magic and the curse before she was ready as he knew about her disbelief in the curse and magic. Jefferson felt it was a matter of merely forcing Emma to act, but Graham wasn’t so sure that would work. Emma was damn stubborn, and Graham was sure that trying to force her to believe in magic before she was ready would only end up in her raising her walls again and refusing to listen. However, Graham reasoned to Jefferson’s dissatisfaction that it really didn’t matter if they couldn’t get the hat to work or his heart back into his body right away, as long as Regina no longer had possession of either magical objects.

Graham pulled out his phone before leaving Jefferson’s and called Emma. After it rang a few times, he heard her pick up. “Hello, Storybrooke Sheriff’s office, how can I help you?”

“Emma?” he said into the phone, relieved to hear her voice once again.

“Graham,” she sighed into the phone. “Are you heading back to the station now? Did you see the person who you said can help you with Regina? Will they help you?”

Graham chuckled as he listened to her rush of questions for him. He smiled as he started to reply. “I did see him and he’s willing to help.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked and Graham could tell she truly wanted to help him, but until he could convince her of the curse, he didn’t want her involved. Regina was watching him far too closely for comfort, and if he and Emma started sneaking around town together, he knew Regina would become suspicious. Plus after meeting Jefferson, he wasn’t sure if he wanted Emma to meet the man yet. Jefferson was a little too obsessed with the idea that Emma possessed magic, and Graham was afraid of what he might do to convince Emma to use magic.

“I’m afraid not,” he replied sadly. “This is something only Jefferson and I can do.”

“Jefferson?” she asked.

Graham sighed. “The man who’s hopefully going to help me is named Jefferson Lewis. He’s the recluse millionaire who lived out on the hill.”

“Recluse millionaire, huh?” she said. “And he’s willing to help?”

“Regina has taken something from him, Emma,” Graham explained. “He needs my help in retrieving it from her.”

Emma was silent for a long moment, then asked again, “Are you coming back to the station?”

Taking a deep breath, Graham answered. “Not quite yet. I have one last stop left to make before I see you again. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Again Emma was silent before finally saying. “Alright.”

“Emma,” Graham pleaded, wishing he could explain where he was going and why. “I promise I’ll see you soon.”

“I—I just miss you,” she confessed.

Graham felt a smile break widely on his face. “I miss you too, and I will see you soon. Hopefully this mess with Regina will be resolved soon, and we can be together like we want.”

“That’s all I can hope for, Graham,” she replied. “I guess I should let you go then.”

“Goodbye, Emma,” Graham said softly. He was elated to hear her confess her feelings to him, and he wanted to share so much more, but he knew she wasn’t ready for more from him yet. 

“Goodbye, Graham,” Emma responded and with a soft click, the call was disconnected. Putting his cell phone away, he started the cruiser for his final visit of the day.

* * *

Graham walked up the front door of the Mayor’s house. Looking at his watch, he knew that Henry should be home from school by now, but Regina would still be at her office for a while yet. Raising his hand, he rang the doorbell.

After a minute or two, the door opened to reveal Henry. “Hey Sheriff. My mom’s not here.”

“Henry, can we talk?” Graham asked, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

“Sure,” Henry replied, giving Graham a confused look. He stepped aside to let Graham enter and closed the door behind him. “What do you want to talk about?”

Graham knelt down to look Henry in the eye. “I remember. About my life before the curse, that is.”

“You do?!” Henry exclaimed, looking excited. “How did you remember? What happened?”

“Woah,” Graham laughed, smiling at Henry’s excitement. “Slow down, Henry.”

“What caused you to remember your identity?” Henry asked again eagerly.

Graham flushed, remembering the events of the night before. “I-uh-I kissed Emma.”

Henry pulled back, a semi-disgusted expression on his face. “You kissed my mom?”

“Y-yes,” Graham admitted, feeling foolish for feeling like he needed approval from a ten year old. 

Henry was silent for a moment and then said excitedly, “That’s so cool. I knew Emma would break the curse!” He looked at Graham suspiciously. “Do you think she’s going to have to go around town kissing everybody to make them remember?”

Graham laughed at the idea of Emma going around town, kissing all the residents to make them remember their true selves. Somehow he didn’t think Emma would be in favor of such a plan. “I don’t think she’d go for that idea, Henry.”

Henry looked disappointed. “I guess not.”

Graham shook his head, and decided it was time to broach the real reason he was here to see the boy. “Henry, I need your help. Do you know who I was?”

“I’ll do anything to help with Operation Cobra!” he exclaimed, pulling on Graham’s arm to get him to follow him. 

Graham quickly got to his feet to follow Henry up to his bedroom. “Operation Cobra?”

“That’s what Emma and I call our plan to break the curse, and now you can help us too,” Henry explained as he went to the book bag on his desk and pulled out his storybook. He thumbed through the pages as he went to sit on his bed, and finding the right spot, he motioned for Graham to sit next to him. Pointing to a picture that resembled Graham, he stated, “You’re the Huntsman.”

Graham looked at the picture and nodded. “And you know what Regina did to me?”

Henry gave Graham a sad look. “She took your heart for not killing Snow White.”

“Yes, she did,” Graham acknowledged. Looking at Henry, he asked, “Henry, do you have any idea where Regina’s vault could be in Storybrooke?”

“The Evil Queen’s vault is here?” Henry asked incredulously. He started furiously paging through his book until he came to a page with a picture of Regina standing in front of the vault. 

Graham looked at the picture closely. “That building looks familiar. It sort of looks like…”

Henry looked closely at the picture as well. Squinting a bit, he said, “Looks like a crypt or something.”

Suddenly Graham knew exactly where Regina’s vault was located. He had patrolled the local cemetery more times than he could count over the past 28 years, and he knew Regina visited her father’s mausoleum weekly. “I know where it is.”

“Where?” Henry asked eagerly. “When can we go?”

Graham looked at the boy and shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere, Henry.”

“I want to help,” Henry whined, giving Graham a pitiful look. “Operation Cobra—“

“You can help by distracting your mother,” Graham said quickly, interrupting Henry’s reasoning for tagging along for the adventure.

Henry’s eyes grew large with excitement. “I can do that. When are you going to find your heart?”

Graham thought for a long moment, then pulled out his cell phone and dialed. After a few moments, he spoke, “Jefferson, I found the location of the vault. When do you want to try to retrieve the items?”

He listened to Jefferson tell him the sooner the better and agreed that they should attempt getting the items tonight. Hanging up the phone, he looked again at Henry. “Can you stall her tonight?”

“Sure,” Henry agreed. “Who’s Jefferson?”

Graham took a deep breath. “Henry, I’m not the only one who remembers their identity from the Enchanted Forest.”

“Jefferson remembers too?” Henry exclaims. “I wonder who he---“ he stops suddenly as if remembering something, and pages through his book again. Pointing to a picture of a man and a child in the woods, he asks, “Is that him?”

Graham looked at the picture in the book. “That’s Jefferson. Who’s the little girl?”

Henry looked down at the page again. “That’s his daughter. Do you know who he is? He’s the Mad Hatter.”

Graham looked at the boy who was way too perceptive for his age. “Yes he is, Henry.” He wondered about Jefferson’s daughter. When he visited the home earlier, he had saw no signs of a child living there.

“The Mad Hatter knows about the curse,” Henry muttered to himself. He suddenly looked up at Graham. “Can I meet him? He can help us with Operation Cobra!”

Graham gave Henry a doubtful expression. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Henry. Jefferson is a bit odd. I’m not sure he’ll be the kind of help you want for your Operation Cobra.”

“But—“ Henry protested, giving Graham a pleading look.

“Henry, I’ll mention it to him, okay?” Graham conceded, knowing that if he didn’t say something, Henry would most likely make a trip up to see Jefferson to talk to him about the curse. And much like Emma, Graham was fairly sure he didn’t want Henry around Jefferson any time soon. “You’ll help me tonight still?”

“Of course,” Henry said, rolling his eyes at Graham. “Anything to help you with Operation Cobra. Is Emma helping you and Jefferson?”

“Uh, Henry,” Graham started, not sure how to explain Emma’s non-involvement in the scheme. “Emma doesn’t know about any of this.”

“Why?” Henry inquired, confused as to why Emma would be left out of the mission. “She’s been helping me with Operation Cobra since she came to Storybrooke.”

Graham looked at Henry and replied honestly, “Henry, you and I both know Emma doesn’t really believe in the curse.”

“But she kissed you and your curse broke,” he said in a confused voice. “True Love’s Kiss can break—“

Graham quickly interrupted Henry’s train of thought. “We kissed, but it wasn’t like she meant to break the curse, Henry. After I remembered, I realized that making Emma believe in the curse would take some time, time I don’t really have if Regina figures out I’m starting to remember.”

Henry nodded sadly, “Emma’s hard to convince about magic, isn’t she?”

“Yes she is,” Graham agreed, putting an arm around the boy. “But we’ll work together after I get my heart back to convince her, won’t we? After all, I’m newly recruited to Operation Cobra.”

Henry beamed up at him. “Thanks, Graham. And we can have Jefferson help too.”

“Uh, we’ll see if he wants to help out,” Graham said slowly, not really encourage Henry in thinking that the Mad Hatter would be of great help.

Henry looked up at Graham and smiled confidently at him. “You’ll get your heart back Graham, and have your happy ending with Emma. I just know it.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry about the delay in getting this chapter to you. I’m afraid my Gremma muse was being rather uncooperative, and resisted all attempts at writing this bridge chapter. Thankfully, next chapter is where the action will start for everyone involved. I know a lot of you wanted Graham to have Emma help him in his quest for his heart, but he really believes she can’t help him unless she believes in magic, plus he’s worried about Jefferson. However, our Ms. Swan isn’t one to take a back seat in this adventure, and will be helping out on this quest with or without Graham’s approval.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Emma sat in the empty office of the Sheriff’s station, thinking over the changes that had happened over the past 24 hours. Just last night, she had been furious with Graham over his relationship with Regina and had vowed to have nothing more to do with him. However, making the decision to drive him home after seeing how drunk he was after kissing her turned out to be the best decision she had ever made. She shuddered to think about what might have happened if she had kept on walking away like her instincts were screaming for her to do.

She still wasn’t sure what to make of her developing feelings for Graham. She’d protected her heart for so long from heartbreak that she wasn’t sure if she even knew how to be part of a proper relationship. Her relationship with Neal had been the first time she had ever felt like someone wanted her in their lives, and when he sold her out to the police and disappeared from her life, she felt like her world as she knew it had ended. Ending up in jail, pregnant, and abandoned are not the romantic dreams any girl has when growing up. After making it through that terrible time in her life, she vowed to never let anyone ever hurt her as deeply as Neal had, but here she was considering allowing another man into her heart.

But _was_ Graham the same sort of man that Neal had proven to be? Her heart was saying that Graham was a good man that cared deeply for her, but her head was shouting at her to walk away while her heart wasn’t so affected. Was she crazy to get involved with someone who only very recently was sexually involved with a woman who quite frankly hated Emma’s guts? While she believed Graham’s story about Regina blackmailing him into a sexual relationship, she still worried that Graham wasn’t telling her the whole story. She could tell he was withholding information from her regarding Regina, and she wasn’t happy that he was out there figuring out a way to get out from under her thumb without her help.

She wanted to help him with Regina. If she was really blackmailing him like Graham told her, they should both be working together to nail Regina’s ass to the wall instead of Graham reaching out to this mystery man Jefferson. Why was Graham so hesitant to make Regina aware that he didn’t want to be seen with her outside of the office anymore? Was his reluctance to end things with her a sign that Emma shouldn’t move forward with her relationship with Graham?

Emma was starting to feel the need to escape once again. What was she doing trying to attempt a relationship with Graham? She was too messed up to be a good girlfriend to any man, let alone someone as wonderful as Graham. However the thought of leaving him sent heart into a tailspin. She found she enjoyed their silly banter and the grins he always shared with her. Last night had been the best night sleep she had experienced in ages, and she knew it was because she had spent them in Graham’s arms. Did she really want to walk away from the first real opportunity of a lasting relationship she had found in over a decade?

Emma was so engrossed in her internal musings that she never noticed Graham entering the office. She even startled when she heard Graham call her name. She looked up to see him standing before her. Giving him a tentative smile, she said weakly, “Graham, you’re back.” 

“Emma, what were you thinking so hard about?” Graham asked, peering at her closely. “You were miles away.”

“It was nothing,” Emma deflected, not ready to share her emotional turmoil with him yet. “Everything go okay today?”

“As well as I can expect,” he sighed, taking a seat in a chair nearby. “I’m not sure about Jefferson, but he’s the best person to help me right now.”

“Why do you need this Jefferson anyway?” Emma asked, wanting to understand his need for help from this stranger. “I can help you with whatever you need to do, Graham.” Emma gave Graham what she hoped was a heartfelt look. “I want to…no I need to help you.”

* * *

Even though Regina had stolen his heart from him, Graham could swear it was breaking as he heard Emma’s plea to help him with his quest. He could see the sincerity on her face and nearly broke down, allowing her to help him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to make her understand why he had to do this without her assistance.

“Emma, as much as I’d love you to help me,” he began in a hesitant manner, “I really need to do this on my own.”

“But you’re allowing Jefferson to help you,” she countered accusingly, “why are you having a complete stranger help you when your deputy and girlfriend is there instead? What can he do that I can’t?”

_‘He knows about the curse you refuse to believe in,’_ Graham thought to himself. Taking a deep breath, he tried to explain, “Emma, I know you are willing to help me in any way you can, but this is something I need Jefferson for. He knows what he’s getting into with me, and he needs to get something back that Regina stole from him as well.”

“But I can help both of you,” she insisted. “Do you think I can’t break into things? You saw my record and know what I’ve done in the past. I’m no stranger to breaking and entering, you know.”

Graham was surprised that Emma was willingly bringing up her past with him. He, of course, knew about her past criminal record. Everyone in Storybrooke knew thanks to Regina, but he still couldn’t risk getting involved. “Emma, I know about your past, but what Jefferson and I need to do…well, it’s complicated.”

“What’s so fuckin’ complicated about stealing something from Regina?” Emma ground out, sounding angrier by the second.

_‘It’s complicated because we’re trying to find a vault filled with stolen magical hearts and objects from another realm,’_ he wanted to shout, but was able to hold his temper. “It’s just better if less people are involved. I can’t risk Regina being tipped off about this.”

“You think I’d risk getting involved if I thought Regina would find out about it?” she yelled at him. “What do you take me for, an amateur? You think I’ve never stolen shit before? Ran a con? Well let me tell you, I’ve done plenty illegal shit before I went to prison, mister. I have to wonder if you’re the best person to do this job with Jefferson, seeing as you’ve never been anything but a cop.”

He had to defuse the situation with Emma quickly, or both of them were going to say things they were going to regret. “Emma, I have no doubt you are more qualified than either Jefferson or I,” Graham tried placating, though he wasn’t sure if saying Jefferson was less qualified than Emma was true or not. From the little the man had shared about his past, Graham could tell breaking and entering was something he was quite adept at. “But Jefferson is more familiar with where we need to go and what to look for. He doesn’t know you, and he’s not very trusting of people. He may refuse to help me if other people are involved.” Graham hoped Emma would buy his rather pathetic excuse, though he did suspect Jefferson would be more difficult to deal with if Emma became involved, but not for the reasons he was sharing with Emma. Jefferson had indicated on more than once he was interested in the magic he felt Emma possessed, and Graham didn’t want Emma to tempt Jefferson to act on his desire for magic.

“He might not help you if I’m involved?” she said skeptically. “Are you sure?”

Graham hated lying to Emma, but he couldn’t chance her involvement. “I’m fairly sure, Emma.”

Emma closed her eyes in defeat. “If you’re sure…”

“Emma,” Graham cajoled, reaching out to grasp her hands in his. “After tonight, this will hopefully all be over. Jefferson and I will have back what Regina took from us, and you and I can be together without fear of Regina.” Graham pulled her into his arms, hugging her to him. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to briefly imagine having his heart returned to him, and being able to love Emma the way she deserved.

* * *

Emma returned Graham’s embrace, but was unconvinced by his argument for her lack of assistance. She didn’t buy his excuse about Jefferson being unwilling to help if she was involved. She could always tell when people were lying to her, and her gut was screaming that Graham was not telling her the whole truth.

“You’re doing this tonight?” she asked innocently, trying to learn as much as she could.

“Jefferson and I are meeting after dark,” he replied, sounding relieved that she was no longer fighting him. “How about you and I go to Granny’s for supper together? Sheriffs and deputies need to eat. No one can think anything’s wrong with two coworkers sharing a meal after a long days work, now can they?”

“No, they can’t,” she smiled up at him as she pulled away. She stood waiting as Graham grabbed her coat and started to lead her out of the station. 

Graham may have thought he had won the argument against her, but he was sorely mistaken. If he thought he could just bulldoze over her in their relationship, he had another thing coming. She’d allow him to take her to dinner and then home, but she had plans to follow Graham and this Jefferson on their mission tonight. Emma Swan was going to help Graham get out from under Regina’s thumb, whether he liked it or not.


	8. Chapter 8

Several hours later, it was dark and Graham was waiting near the edge of the cemetery for Jefferson to arrive. He could hardly believe he was this close to being free of Regina and her manipulation. If this plan went the way he hoped it would, he would be walking away with his stolen heart returned and Jefferson with his hat.

“Been waiting long?” a voice called from behind him.

Graham turned to see Jefferson walking towards him. “Not too long. Glad to see you didn’t park your car near here.”

“I’ve dealt with Regina enough to know that one should never be too careful when dealing with her,” Jefferson replied grimly, looking around. “Did you arrange for Regina to keep busy?”

“I spoke with Henry this afternoon and he agreed to help us keep her occupied,” Graham said, still unhappy about involving Henry in this plan. “I also arranged for Sidney to have an unlimited bar tab at Granny’s tonight, so that should take care of Regina’s chief spy.”

“I took care of the rest,” Jefferson confided, starting to walk towards the Mills mausoleum. 

“What?” Graham exclaimed, jogging to catch up with him. 

“I took care of the rest of Regina’s spies,” Jefferson repeated. “And as the local law enforcement, you probably don’t want to know.”

“You didn’t hurt anybody, did you?” Graham demanded, grasping Jefferson’s arm and stopping him.

“No, nothing like that,” he smiled wickedly, turning to face Graham. “I happen to have a way with tea blends, and everyone will sleep quite well tonight. I considered delivering some to Regina as well, but figured that was a bit risky.”

“So you drugged them?” Graham sputtered, not quite believing the audacity of this man.

“Do you want people to report our night time activities back to Regina?” Jefferson asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, but…”

“Then don’t worry about it,” Jefferson dismissed, starting to walk again toward the mausoleum. “They’re not dead, only sleeping very soundly. And better yet, they won’t be doing any of Regina’s dirty work tonight.”

Graham stared after the man for a moment, following him before he got too far ahead of him. They soon stood before the Mills Mausoleum and Graham stepped forward to try the door which was locked. Jefferson pulled a something out of his jacket and produced a lock pick set. He stepped forward and began to expertly manipulate the lock.

“Do I even want to know how you know how to do that?” Graham asked, watching Jefferson work.

“Probably not,” Jefferson conceded, and with a snick the lock opened and he opened the door. “Let’s just say some of my activities during my portal jumping days weren’t exactly legal.”

The two men walked into the small crypt and saw shelves with dusty urns lined the walls and in the center of the room was a sarcophagus. Graham started to look around. “It’s got to be in here somewhere. A hidden door or lever.”

Jefferson scanned the room, finally gazing at the sarcophagus in the center of the crypt. “It’s under that,” he said, pointing.

“Where?” Graham looked to where he was pointing. “Under the coffin?”

“Last time I was in a vault like this, it was underground. There’s no hidden door in the walls, so it has to be underneath us.” He started to walk around the structure. He pointed towards the floor on the right side, “Look,” and pointed to the floor. Sure enough, there were scratches in the floor, showing that the sarcophagus could be shifted.

The two of them moved to the left of the coffin and pushed, sliding it over and revealing a hidden stairwell. Jefferson looked at Graham and gestured down the stairs, “After you.”

Graham held his flashlight up and illuminated the stairwell. He started down the stairs, and as he reached the bottom, he could hear a faint thumping sound. “My heart,” he gasped looking at the wall of ahead of him.  
Jefferson stood behind him. “Not just yours, but many peoples’. Just how many people are walking around this town without a heart?”

Graham walked up to the wall and began inspecting it. Jefferson stood near him with a look of disgust on his face. “Regina became her mother after all,” he mused.

Graham turned to him. “What?”

“It’s just…I’ve visited a few of Cora’s vaults, both in the Enchanted Forest and in Wonderland. There’s a reason she’s called the Queen of Hearts, you know,” he explained, shaking his head. “How are you going to find yours?”

“I-I don’t know,” Graham admitted, looking over the pulsing boxes. He began running a hand over them, hoping that one would stand out. Turning his head to Jefferson, he urged, “Go look for your hat while I try to figure out which one is mine.” 

Jefferson nodded and left to explore the room while Graham continued to search for his heart. A whining sound from behind him alerted him to a new presence. He whirled around to see the wolf with two colored eyes standing at the base of the stairs. “Brother,” Graham breathed, reaching out as the wolf came forward. He placed his hands on the wolf’s head, looking into its eyes. “I need to find my heart, brother. Can you help me?”

The wolf moved towards the wall, getting up on its hind legs, and started pawing at a door. Graham moved towards it and pushed on it. The compartment slid open and inside was a wooden box. Gingerly, Graham took the box out and carefully opened the lid. Inside was a glassy looking red magical heart. His heart.

“What the hell is that wolf doing here?” Jefferson burst out from behind him. The wolf turned towards the man and began growling.

“Brother, he’s fine,” Graham soothed, reaching a hand down to calm the animal. “He’s helping me.”

Jefferson shook his head. “Whatever. I got my hat and I see you have your heart. Let’s get out of here.”

Just as they were about to turn to leave, a voice rang out from the base of the stairs. “What the hell is going on here? What the fuck is this place?”

* * *

After eating together at Granny’s, Emma allowed Graham to give her a ride back to her apartment. She went inside the building and waited as Graham drove off. Noting the direction he went in, she quickly hurried to her Bug and followed. After a few minutes, she saw the parked cruiser. She couldn’t see Graham anywhere, so she parked her car behind the cruiser and was about to get out when her cell phone rang. 

Taking it out of her pocket, she answered, “Hello?”

“Emma?” Henry asked, sounding unsure.

“Henry, why are you calling me?” Emma asked.

“I need to talk to you about Operation Cobra,” he demanded, talking quickly into the phone.

“Can this wait, Henry?” Emma said, getting out of the car and trying to see if Graham was around. “I’m sort of in the middle of something.”

“You need to listen to me,” he implored. “My mom’s getting suspicious of my behavior tonight. I’ve got her making my favorite meal, but I think she’s on to me. You need to warn Graham.”

“What are you talking about?” she demanded.

“The Evil Queen knows something’s up. I think she can sense it,” Henry explained. “You need to find Graham. He might be in trouble.”

“In trouble?” Emma asked. “What do you mean?”

“If the Evil Queen finds out what he’s planning to do tonight, she’ll retaliate,” he explained. Then in a rush, he continued, “I’ve gotta go. She’s coming. Find Graham.” And then he hung up.

“What the hell is going on here?” Emma spoke to herself. She started to walk when a wolf ran out ahead of her, stopping for a moment to let out a howl. “Can this night get any weirder? That’s the damn wolf that caused me to run of the road.”

The wolf started to trot away, then turned towards her and stared. Emma had the eerie feeling it wanted her to follow it. “I guess it can…”

Since she had no other options, she followed the wolf as it led her towards the cemetery. She followed as closely as she could while navigating the dark cemetery. Last thing she needed was to trip over some damn headstone. As she followed the wolf deeper into the cemetery, she saw him enter into an open mausoleum. “Well, I doubt that should be open.”

She moved closer slowly, not really wanting to get into an enclosed space with a wild animal. As she peeked through the door, she saw no wolf inside. But she did see a casket moved to the side and a set of stairs leading underground. Emma grasped her arm and gave herself a good pinch. “Ow! Damnit! I’m not dreaming after all.”

She slowly entered the crypt and as she got closer, she heard Graham’s voice. “He’s helping me.”

An unfamiliar voice responded as she started down the stairwell. “Whatever. I got my hat and I see you have your heart. Let’s get out of here.”

As she reached the bottom, she saw Graham holding an open wooden box, a man with a hat box, and the damned wolf. Looking around the place in disbelief, she yelled out, “What the hell is going on here? What the fuck is this place?”

The two men turned toward her as she walked to Graham. The wolf, who had been standing by Graham, ran past her and up the stairs. “Why the hell is there a wolf in this place, and again I have to ask, what the fuck is going on?”

“Emma,” Graham breathed, quickly closing the box and moving towards her. “I can explain.”

“My, the Sheriff’s deputy has quite a mouth on her,” the man with a hat box mused.

Emma turned to the strange looking man in a long coat and scarf. “Who are you?” she demanded.

“Jefferson Lewis,” he responded, holding his hand out.

Emma just stared at the held out hand in disbelief. “Okay,” she said, ignoring the gesture and turning to Graham. “I’m going to want a detailed explanation sometime soon, but right now, we need to leave.”

“Why? What’s happening?” Graham demanded, looking over at Jefferson then back to Emma.

“Henry called and said Regina was getting suspicious and was on to him. I’m assuming this little room belongs to her,” Emma explained, glaring at the two. “And I’m also going to want to know why my son is involved in your little scheme.”

“Not now,” said Jefferson, moving past Emma to start up the stairs. Emma glared and began to follow him. Graham stayed behind for a moment and then moved to follow, the box gone but he was placing something into his interior jacket pocket. After he was up the stairs, Jefferson moved to the right of the coffin and moved it back over the open stairs.

“That was creepy,” Emma observed from the doorway.

“It’s Regina’s,” Jefferson responded, moving past her out of the mausoleum. He waited for the two of them to exit, then pulled the door such, and used the lock picks to relock the doors.

“You were breaking and entering?” Emma asked in disbelief. 

“Not now, you two,” Jefferson spat as he stowed the set back into his pocket. “We need to get out of here before Regina finds us.”

“Where should we go?” Graham asked, placing a hand on Emma’s arm. Emma shook him off and stepped away. She tried not to notice the hurt look on his face.

“My place,” Jefferson announced, looking around quickly. “She’ll be looking for the two of you, but hopefully she won’t suspect I’m involved yet. It’ll buy us a little more time until she realizes the hat and your heart are gone.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but agreed this was probably the best option. “Let’s go, but you two had better be prepared to do some explaining when we get there.”


	9. Chapter 9

It was quickly decided among the three of them that Emma and Graham would drop off their vehicles at their respective apartments, while Jefferson followed, picking them up after. They knew that this action wouldn’t probably fool Regina for very long, but as Jefferson pointed out, the longer it took Regina to figure out what was happening, the better it would be for the three of them.

They were in Jefferson’s car riding up to his house on the hill when suddenly Emma saw a familiar figure walking along the side of the road. “Stop the car!” she demanded, practically throwing herself out of the vehicle before Jefferson completely stopped.

There, walking along side of the road was Henry, backpack in hand. Emma ran over to him and grabbed his shoulders, giving him a little shake. “Henry, what are you doing out here?”

“I’m trying to help you and Graham,” he explained, throwing his arms around Emma. “I knew that it wouldn’t be long before the Evil Queen figured out Graham’s plan, so I wanted to warn you. He mentioned Jefferson to me this afternoon, and it didn’t take me long to figure out where he lived. I figured you and Graham would go there when he had finished his mission.”

Emma grabbed Henry by the arm and pulled him to Jefferson’s car. “I’m taking you home right now.”

Jefferson turned to look as his newest passenger. “Henry, isn’t it?”

“You’re the Mad Hatter,” Henry replied excitedly.

Jefferson’s smile faded a bit. “My name is Jefferson.”

“Never mind the introductions,” Emma interrupted. “We need to take Henry back to his house.”

“NO!” Henry shouted.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” said Jefferson at the same time.

“Tell me one good reason that Henry shouldn’t go home right now,” Emma countered, glaring at Jefferson.

“Because if Regina has caught onto our plan, then she’ll stop at nothing to protect her curse,” Jefferson patiently explained.

“She loves Henry,” Emma pointed out, frustrated by his lack of understanding on this issue.

“But she wants her curse to continue more,” Graham broke in. He had be silent watching the exchange between Emma and Jefferson. “She wouldn’t hurt Henry, but she’s not above using him to get what she wants. If we are getting close to a breakthrough on the curse, Henry’s better off with us.”

“Don’t tell me you believe this curse thing Henry’s been trying to convince me of is really true?” Emma huffed, ignoring the hurt look crossing Henry’s face.

“Deputy Swan,” Jefferson cut in, starting the car and continuing to his home. “I can guarantee the curse is real. I think between the three of us,” he looked up into the rearview mirror at Henry, “we’ll have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt everything your son has told you is the absolute truth.”

Emma was silent from that point on, but she could see that Jefferson and Graham had won Henry’s devotion. He was pointedly ignoring her and started asking Jefferson questions about his past. “You were stuck in Wonderland, weren’t you?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Jefferson answered, clearly uncomfortable. 

“What was the world like?” Henry continued, eager to learn more about a place he’d only read about in books.

“It’s certainly not like the children’s books described,” Jefferson muttered, staring ahead. All too soon, the four of them were pulling in front of a large mansion.

Emma looked at the place in awe as Jefferson stopped the car and started to get out. “This is your house? It looks more like a hotel,” she commented as she exited the car with Henry. “You must have a huge family.”  
“Nope,” Jefferson replied curtly, “it’s just me,” and began leading the three of them up the stairs to his front door.

He settled them into the living room, placing the hat box on the piano. Henry took as seat on the sectional, pulling off his coat. “You have a daughter, don’t you Jefferson?”

Jefferson turned sharply to look at Henry. Emma looked at the boy, admonishing, “Henry.”

“What?” He turned to look at Emma who was now sitting next to him. “I know his daughter,” he said, pulling out his storybook from his backpack. “She’s in my class,” he flipped through the book and pointed to a picture, showing it to Emma. Jefferson walked over to the two of them to see as well. Henry pointed to the girl who was standing near a man who looked eerily like the one standing right in front of Emma. “That’s Paige.”

“Her name is Grace,” Jefferson said flatly, walking away towards the fireplace.

“I know,” Henry said, looking up at him. “You were separated from her because of my mom.” He gave Jefferson a sympathetic look, stuffing the book back into his bag. “I’m really sorry she did that to you.”

Jefferson nodded, and looked away. Emma looked up to see Graham pacing by the door. “Graham, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Jefferson exclaimed, pushing away from the fireplace and walking over to stand in front of Emma. “What’s wrong? Oh, I don’t know…maybe it’s the fact Regina is quite possibly on to us?”

Emma stood up, staring Jefferson in the eyes. “Look, I know Regina’s a bitch and is capable of a lot,” she began.

Jefferson stepped even closer to her, standing only inches away. “You have no idea what that woman is capable of,” he hissed.

“That’s enough!” Graham commanded, walking over and separating the two of them. “Fighting with each other won’t help, and frankly you’re starting to scare Henry.”

Emma looked down to see her son looking up at her with an upset and frightened expression. She sat down beside him and pulled him to her. “Henry, I’m sorry.”

Henry pushed away. “Emma, they’re right,” he agreed, looking up at Graham and Jefferson. “If my Mom finds out about what Graham did…”

Emma turned to look at Graham. “What exactly were the two of you doing down in that crypt?”

“Taking back what the Queen stole from both of us,” Jefferson retorted, glaring at her.

“Not helping,” Graham muttered, taking a seat next to Emma. “Emma, you know how I told you Regina was holding something over me?”

“Yes,” Emma slowly replied.

“Emma I need you to listen to me,” Graham pleaded, looking deeply into her eyes. “I need you to listen and not automatically dismiss what I’m telling you. Can you do that for me, please?”

“I’ll try, but…” Emma started.

“No, Emma,” Graham interrupted, grasping her hands and pulling them onto his lap. “You need to listen, as this could be life or death for all of us.”

“What?” she exclaimed, looking around to see Graham, Jefferson, and Henry wearing somber expressions.

Graham touched her face, bringing her attention back to him. “Emma, back before the curse hit in the Enchanted Forest, I was known as the Huntsman. I was raised by wolves and had little to no human contact. I only cared about my wolf brethren and had no use for humans at all.”

“Graham, this is…” Emma tried to interrupt, but Henry stopped her.

“Emma, you need to listen to him,” he pleaded. 

Graham continued, “One day I was summoned to the Queen’s Castle and was given a very important task by the Queen. She wanted Snow White dead by my hand, and her heart delivered to her as proof.” Graham looked down for a moment, then continued. “I accepted the task, and accompanied Snow White as she traveled through the woods. She soon figured out I wasn’t one of the usual guards and tried to escape, but I quickly caught up with her. She begged me to allow her to write a letter to Regina before I killed her, and when I read her message of forgiveness to someone who was trying to have her killed, I had to let her go. I killed a stag in her place and brought it to the Queen, but she quickly realized the heart wasn’t Snow’s. In retaliation, she took my heart instead, and I’ve been under her control every since.”

Emma looked around to see both Jefferson and Henry looking unsurprised at Graham’s story. She turned back to Graham. “Graham, that’s ridiculous. Of course you have your heart. I can prove it,” she reasoned, reaching out to touch his chest. She felt his heart beat against her palm. “See?”

“She didn’t take his heart literally, you know,” Jefferson pointed out, as he rolled his eyes at Emma and Graham. “Those who practice the dark arts do it by ripping the organ out of the living while it still beats. She took his heart’s essence, if you will.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Emma scoffed, not believing a word these two were talking about. “Magic? You’re both taking crazy.”

“What’s crazier than seeing and not believing? Because that’s exactly what you’ve been doing since you got to our little hamlet. Open your eyes. Look around. Wake up. Isn’t it about time?” Jefferson asked, again moving into Emma’s personal space.

“Emma, I can prove she took my heart,” Graham interjected, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the pulsing heart. 

Henry looked at Graham’s hand in awe. “You got it back? How are we going to get in back into you?”

“Get what back into him?” Emma asked, staring at Graham’s palm. “It’s just a piece of quartz or something. It’s certainly not a real heart.”

“You can’t see it?” Henry questioned, giving Emma an odd look. 

“Your denial is certainly deep,” Jefferson said, shaking his head. “If she doesn’t believe in magic, there’s no way we can return it to his chest. This realm has no magic.”

“Then what can we do?” asked Henry, looking up at Jefferson for guidance.

Graham placed his unoccupied hand on one of hers, hurt darkening his eyes. “You really can’t see my heart?” 

“Graham, that’s not a heart,” she insisted, lacing her fingers with his. “You need to stop with this nonsense.”

“Take it,” he persisted, taking the hand she was holding, and placed the glowing heart in her palm. “Emma, my heart literally is in the palm of your hands. I need you to believe.”

Emma brought her other hand up to cup the object within her hands. Even though it resembled a piece of rock to her, she could somehow sense that it was faintly pulsing. But that was silly. All this talk of hearts was getting to her. She carefully tightened her grip and nearly dropped it when she saw Graham grasp his chest in pain.

“Graham,” she exclaimed, moving closer to him. “What’s wrong?”

Jefferson rushed over and snatched the heart out of her hands. “You squeezed his heart, you fool,” he snapped, handing heart back to Graham gingerly. Graham put the heart back into his jacket pocket. “If you pressed harder, you’d crumble it to dust.”

Emma narrowed her eyes at the man, and retorted, “And then what would happen?”

“He’d die,” Henry spoke up from beside her. Emma swung around to see him sitting with a serious look on her face. She looked around the room to see similar expressions on the other two men’s faces as well.  


“You really can’t believe all this is true, can you?” Emma laughed nervously. 

Suddenly a phone rang from the pocket of Graham’s jacket. The four of them looked at each other nervously. Graham slowly pulled out the phone and looked to see who the caller was. He looked up at them and said flatly, “It’s Regina.”

Taking a deep breath, he pushed answer and then the speaker button. Regina’s voice rang out in the room. “Graham, you’ve stolen from me.”

“I’ve only taken what’s rightfully mine, Regina,” he replied grimly.

“I don’t like it when people steal from me, isn’t that right, Jefferson?” she responded smugly. “I know you helped him, Jefferson. I saw that the hat was gone as well.”

“You bitch,” Jefferson seethed, clenching his teeth. “You tricked me and stole my hat, stranding me with your damned mother in Wonderland. I lost my head and went mad thanks to you, Regina.”

Emma heard Regina laugh. “Oh Jefferson, still bitter over your choice to help me rather than staying with your daughter? I’ll get that hat and Graham’s heart back, and I’ll make both of you pay, as well as Ms. Swan.”

Henry looked about ready to say something when Graham shook his head at him. “Regina, we’re not returning what’s rightfully ours.”

“Oh, I think you will,” she replied cheerfully. “I’ll see you soon,” and with that last message, the line went dead.

“What are we going to do?” Henry asked, looking around at the adults.

“I’m not sure,” Graham admitted, a look of defeat on his face. Jefferson, however, was staring at the hat box on the piano. He walked over to it and threw it open, pulling out a battered old top hat.

“Maybe we can use this,” he said slowly. “Before we left, I dumped a few of Regina’s magical objects into the hat. It’s absorbed their magic, and maybe it’s enough to make a portal out of this realm.”

“What the hell are you talking about now,” Emma snapped, walking over to him. “We don’t have time for your crazy shit.” She grasped the brim of the hat, trying to pull it away from him.

Jefferson held on tightly, refusing to let go. “This hat is our only escape. If we don’t get it to work, who knows what Regina will do to us?”

“He’s right, Mom,” Henry pleaded, coming to stand next to her with Graham following.

“Emma, we need to do something to protect us against, Regina,” he admitted. He placed a hand on her arm, as did Henry. “She’s coming, and we need to do something to stop her.”

Emma looked down at the hat. “Protect us from Regina,” she murmured, staring down. Suddenly a jolt ran through her, and she pulled the hat out of Jefferson’s startled hands to the floor. 

The hat started to spin, and a purple vortex began to appear. Jefferson pushed the three of them back away from the spinning hat. “Shit, this is not a good place to be doing this…” he moaned, looking around as items began swirling around them. 

“Emma, you got the hat to work!” Henry exclaimed, excitement glowing in his eyes as he stared into the vortex of magic.

“What do we do?” Graham asked.

Jefferson looked at the three of them, and simply said, “Jump!”


	10. Chapter 10

_The hat started to spin, and a purple vortex began to appear. Jefferson pushed the three of them back away from the spinning hat. “Shit, this is not a good place to be doing this…” he moaned, looking around as items began swirling around them._

_“Emma, you got the hat to work!” Henry exclaimed, excitement glowing in his eyes as he stared into the vortex of magic._

_“What do we do?” Graham asked._

_Jefferson looked at the three of them, and simply said, “Jump!”_

* * *

Emma looked up from the spinning hat. “Are you out of your mind?”

Jefferson gave her a derisive look. “I’m not staying around for Regina to find me,” he said as he jumped into the hat. 

Henry made a move to follow the mad man into the hat, but Emma grabbed his arm. “Oh no you don’t,” she hissed, holding on to him for dear life.

Graham took her other arm and forced her to look at him. “Emma, if Regina finds us, she’s going to kill me. She doesn’t like to lose,” he implored, looking into her eyes. “This is our only hope of escape. We have to jump.”

“The portal is shrinking!” Henry cried, pointing to the hat.

“Emma, I hope you forgive me for this,” he called out and jumped into the shrinking vortex, pulling Emma and Henry along with him.

She was free falling down a hat. She could hear Henry laughing with glee beside her as the three of them traveled downwards. All too soon, they landed in a heap on a polished marble floor.

“Took you long enough,” Jefferson drawled, rolling his eyes at the lot of them. 

“This is so awesome!” Henry exclaimed, turning to look around the circular room at all the various doors.

Emma looked around herself, wondering where the hell they were, because it certain wasn’t Storybrooke. “What is this place?”

“It’s the Realm Room,” Jefferson answered, smiling to himself. He turned to Emma. “You got it to work!”

“Can Regina follow us?” Graham worried.

“No,” Jefferson replied with a smug expression. “She needs magic to get the hat to work and only Emma had enough magic to make it work properly.”

“ _I_ got the hat to work?” Emma snorted. “I don’t have magic!”

Jefferson walked up to her, standing only inches away from her face. “What’s crazier than seeing and not believing?” He raised his arm, gesturing to the room around them. “Because that’s exactly what you’ve been doing since you got to our little hamlet.” He leaned in, his face nearly touching hers. “Open your eyes. Look around. Wake up. Isn’t it about time?”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Graham intervened, pulling Jefferson away from Emma. “What are we going to do now?”

“Go home,” Jefferson replied, pointing to an ornate wooden door. “You needed a realm with magic to return your heart, so why not return to the one we all belong to?”

“All these doors lead to different worlds?” Henry asked, still looking around the room in awe. “Which ones have you been too?”

“All of them at some point or another,” Jefferson answered, smiling at Henry’s enthusiasm. “Just don’t go wandering off, Kid. The same number of people who go through the hat need to come out.”

“And what happens if the same number doesn’t come out?” Emma queried, glaring at Jefferson. 

“We’ll all be trapped,” Jefferson replied dryly. His hand went to the base of his throat. “I learned from personal experience.”

“How do we get back to Storybrooke?” Emma demanded, crossing her arms. 

“I’ll call on the magic of the hat to return us,” Jefferson answered, staring back at her. “But we’re not going back just yet, Princess.”

“Jefferson, what’s stopping Regina from taking the hat from your house?” Graham questioned with a concerned look on his face. “She’d trap us when we try to return to Storybrooke.” The three adults looked at each other, uncomfortable with the realization that even with their successful escape, Regina could still have the upper hand. 

Henry tugged on Jefferson’s sleeve. “I think the hat followed us here,” he said, holding up the battered hat.

Jefferson took the hat from Henry, staring down at it. “That’s impossible,” he whispered, turning it around in his hands. “I’ve traveled by this hat thousands of times, and it’s never appeared in the realm room before.” He looked at Emma. “Before the hat started working, what were you thinking?”

“I—uh—I don’t remember,” Emma confessed, looking sheepish.

“You said ‘protect us from Regina’,” Henry recalled. “I heard you say it.”

Jefferson had a gleeful look on his face. “Regina can’t trap us now. She doesn’t have the hat. We do.”

Graham looked around the room and sighed, “Look, we need to decide what we’re going to do.” He glanced at Jefferson. “Are you sure going to the Enchanted Forest is the best idea? We have no idea what’s left of the land after the curse hit.”

“If the land was completely destroyed the door to the realm would have disappeared,” Jefferson reassured. “Besides, if the land is too damaged, we can return through the door to the realm room or use the hat.”

“I guess I’m just concerned because we don’t have any weapons,” Graham replied, still looking concerned. “We don’t know what we’re going to run into.”

“What are you talking about, Graham?” Emma interrupted, looking between the two men. “We both have our guns.”

“Guns aren’t the best weapons for what we might face in the forest,” Graham said grimly. “I’d prefer a bow and arrow or a sword, to be honest. Not to mention, we’ll need to find shelter at some point.”

“I have a suggestion,” Jefferson began. “The door to the Enchanted Forest exits near Rumpelstiltskin’s place. We could go there.”

“The Dark Castle?” Henry exclaimed, looking excited at the prospect.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Graham questioned. 

“As safe as any other place in the Enchanted Forest,” Jefferson replied, walking towards the door. “Are we going or not?”

Emma looked down at Henry, seeing the excitement in his face. “Do we really have a choice?” she sighed.

“There’s always a choice, Princess,” Jefferson said blandly. 

Emma looked at Graham and saw him nod. “Alright then, let’s go to the Enchanted Forest.”

* * *

“So this is the Enchanted Forest?” Henry said, as he and Emma followed behind Graham and Jefferson. He looked around at the vast amount of forest surrounding them. “Doesn’t seem very fairy tale like.”

“Everybody was taken to Storybrooke with the curse, Henry,” Graham answered, looking around warily. He turned to Jefferson. “I don’t like this. It doesn’t feel right here in the forest.”

“What are you talking about, Graham?” Emma asked. “Seems pretty quiet to me.”

“I’m going to have to agree with Graham, Emma,” Jefferson interjected, looking concerned as well. “I lived in these forests for years and it never felt like this before.”

“The sooner we get to the Dark Castle, the better I think,” Graham muttered, glancing around warily. “I hope there’s some weapons left from the curse.”

“Why wouldn’t there be things left?” asked Emma, curious. “If I understood Henry correctly about the curse, it just took the people, right?”

“Haven’t you ever been in Mr. Gold’s shop, Emma?” Graham asked, looking back at her but not slowing down. “It’s filled with items from our world. Gold found some way to bring things with him, as did Regina.”

“Figures,” Jefferson snorted, shaking his head. “I’m pretty sure Rumpelstiltskin engineered the curse in the first place, so he’d make sure he’d be well set up in the land without magic.”

“Why do you think Mr. Gold was behind the curse?” Henry asked. 

“Because he’s always wanted to get to a land without magic,” Jefferson replied. “Has been trying for centuries, way before Regina came to power.”

“Why did he want to get to a land without magic?” Emma questioned, curious about why someone would so desperate to create a curse that would rip all the residents to a foreign land.

“That’s a good question,” Jefferson said. “We’re nearly there. We’ll need to be careful, just in case Rumpelstiltskin’s defenses are still in place.”

“Defenses?” Graham queried, concern growing on his face. “What kind of defenses?”

“Magical ones,” Jefferson replied. “Just follow me and we should be fine.”

For the next half hour or so, the four of them followed Jefferson silently, thankfully not running into any problems. Suddenly he stopped, pointing ahead of him. “There it is.” In front of them was a chateau-like castle surrounded by mountains.

“Wow!” Henry whispered, looking at the castle with awe.

“Let’s hope we can get in,” Jefferson said and started walking towards the castle. “We should be fine by this point. Rumpelstiltskin’s defenses were mainly in the forest leading up to his estate.”

“How do you know so much about Rumpelstiltskin?” Emma asked, narrowing her eyes at Jefferson.

“Emma, he worked for him,” Henry explained. “You’d know all this if you would have bothered to read my book.”

“Yes, Emma,” Jefferson mocked. “You should have read the book.”

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. “How’d you end up becoming the Mad Hatter if you worked for Gold?”

Henry groaned. Graham acted quickly to defuse the rapidly escalating situation. “We’re nearly there. We can talk about all this later when we’re safe inside the castle.”

Emma and Jefferson nodded tersely and continued the journey to the Dark Castle. Soon they were entering the courtyard, which was eerily silent. “This place gives me the creeps,” Emma commented, looking around warily.

“It wasn’t the most pleasant of places before the curse happened either,” Jefferson added, leading the group to the castle doors. He tried to open them, but they wouldn’t budge. “Damn, they’re locked.”

“Can’t you use your lock picks like you did on the mausoleum back in Storybrooke?” Emma asked.

“I would if I could,” Jefferson snapped, “but they’re locked magically. I can’t open doors with lock picks that need magic to open them. I’m afraid you’re going to have to open these doors yourself, Princess.”

“Me?” Emma exclaimed. “If you can’t open the damned doors, what makes you think I can?”

“You have magic, Emma,” Henry said, touching her arm and looking up at her. “You made the hat work to get us here, I know you can get these doors open.”

“But how?” she asked, looking confused. “I have no idea how to do magic.”

Jefferson pulled her to the doors and placed her hands on them. “Picture in your mind the doors opening for you.”

Emma closed her eyes and imagined the doors swinging open. After a minute or two, she opened them and looked at Jefferson. “Is something supposed to happen?”

Jefferson growled in frustration. “You’re so difficult! You’re not trying at all!”

“I am trying, you asshat!” she growled, rattling the door.

Graham placed his hands on Emma’s shoulders. “Emma, calm down,” he murmured against her ear. “Close your eyes.” Emma’s eyes drifted shut again. “Picture the doors opening for you. Opening to let us all in from the cold and possible danger.”

Jefferson watched with narrowed eyes, starting to see where Graham was going with his speech. He leaned over to nudge Henry, gesturing for him to join his mother.

Henry placed his hands on Emma’s arm. She opened her eyes and glanced down at him. “Mom, I know you can open the door. You’ll find a way to protect us.”

Emma’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Nodding, she closed her eyes again, and began to whisper to herself, “Open the doors to protect us.” Her hands glowed for a moment then the doors swung open in front of her. 

“You did it, Mom!” he shouted, running into the castle ahead of her.

“Slow down, Henry!” Graham called out, making a move to follow him but stopped to look at Emma for permission. When he saw her minute nod, he went to follow the boy.

Emma stood there silently, not really sure how to process what just happened. She turned when she heard Jefferson say, “Ready to admit you’re magical, Princess?”

She glared at him, hissing, “Stop calling me Princess!”

“Why?” he asked, an amused expression on his face. “That’s what you are. The daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, who finally believes in magic.”

“I—I,” Emma stammered, not sure how to respond. “This all seems impossible. Fairy tales are just kid’s stories you read in books.”

Jefferson looked around, replying, “Does this look like a kid’s story to you? Stories have to come from somewhere, Emma.” 

“But…” she sputtered.

“What is it going to take for you to truly believe?” he asked, stepping closer to her and staring into her eyes. “You’ve proven you can do magic. We’re in another land. I’m sure I can find a magical item or two to show you if you still need proof.”

“No…it’s not that,” she began, not sure of how to explain her current thoughts. “I’ve spent my whole life thinking it was a certain way, and now I find out I was completely wrong about everything, so excuse me if I’m a little out of sorts.”

“Point taken, Princess,” Jefferson smirked, gesturing towards the interior of the castle. “After you.”

“Asshat,” Emma muttered, passing him to enter the rather dreary castle. “Sort of a strange place Rumpelstiltskin had. Part French palace and part creepy castle.”

“It used to be a lot stranger, believe me,” Jefferson replied, walking past her. “Follow me. I know where the bedrooms are and hopefully we’ll find something useful.”

* * *

A few hours later, Emma sat in an ornate bedroom staring at the outfit before her. “Emma?” came Graham’s voice from the doorway. “Are you okay?”

“I guess,” she answered, staring skeptically at the leather outfit on the bed. “Is this what women wore in the Enchanted Forest?”

“I wouldn’t really know,” Graham confessed, looking down at the leather pants, corset, chemise, and cloak. “As a Huntsman, I spent most of my time away from human company. And then when Regina…” he trailed off.

Emma held out her hand to him. He placed a hand in hers, and she pulled him to sit with her on the bed. “Tell me your story, Graham.”

He gazed into her eyes, as if trying to determine if she was really ready to hear about his past. He must have seen something in her, as he nodded and began, “I entered a tavern to warm up and have a pint of drink. My wolf brother was with me and we were troubling no one, when a man near us…”

Emma sat and listened to his tale, shocked at what had he suffered at Regina’s hand because he allowed her mother, Snow White, to live. Tears formed in her eyes at the thought of this wonderful man whose only crime was compassion for an innocent soul. “My God, Graham,” she whispered, reaching out to cup his cheek. “What you suffered at her hand.”

He looked down in shame, not wanting to meet her eyes. “Graham,” she coaxed, urging him to look at her. “Please look at me.” He shyly looked up.

“Graham, what happened once you were transported to Storybrooke?”

“The days seemed to blur by,” he stuttered. “I had the semblance of free will, but it was at the whim of Regina. I found myself in her bed time after time, not really wanting her, but unable to stop. I was forced to do her bidding, even going so far as trying to kidnap a child away from his father.”

He smiled at her, tears streaming down his face. “It wasn’t until you came to Storybrooke that I was able to think for myself.”

Emma wiped away his tears, stroking his cheek gently. “I didn’t do anything, Graham.”

“You stayed, Emma,” Graham whispered, staring into her eyes. “It’s set everything in motion, Emma. I know you’ll break the curse on everyone.” He was silent for a moment, then continued, “You did for me.”

“What do you mean?” her voice quavered.

“When I kissed you last night,” he began slowly, taking her hands in his and bringing it up to his chest, above where his heart should be, “I began to remember my real life, not the cursed one Regina created.”

“I did that for you?” she sniffed, tears forming in her eyes as well. She leaned forward, kissing him softly. “Graham, do you have your heart?”

He nodded, pulling it from his jacket. She reached out to take it from him gently. “I think I’m ready to try to give you back your heart.” She pushed back his leather jacket back and with trembling hand placed his heart against his chest. She looked up at him. “What do I do?”

“I—I think you just push,” he said, looking down at her hand. 

She stared up into his eyes, and taking a deep breath, she pushed her hand into his chest. Her hand and his heart went into his chest. Graham’s eyes widened as he gasped at the sensation of his heart being returned for the first time in decades. Emma withdrew her hand quickly, her face expressing the shock at what she just accomplished.

Graham’s face broke into a smile, and he pulled Emma into his arms. “You did it!”

Emma began to laugh as she threw her arms around him. She pulled back and kissed him. His mouth opened under hers, and the kiss quickly deepened. “Emma,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms once again.

“Graham,” she whispered into his ear. “I believe.”


End file.
